by Anne Calder
The World College Winter Video games is the biggest multi-collegiate athletic occasion on the planet. The occasion is held each two years within the odd yr. The 2023 Video games have been held in Lake Placid, NY and several other surrounding cities. It was the second time the small Adirondack Mountain village hosted the Video games.
Over 1400 athletes from 595 universities and 43 nations participated in 86 competitions in 12 sports activities. The USA had the biggest delegation (150), adopted by JPN (139) and CAN (121). The determine skaters competed in males (31) and girls (34) singles and ice dance (13 groups).
The determine skating competitors was held on the Olympic Heart 1980 Herb Brooks Area, website of the “Miracle on Ice”. The constructing additionally homes the 1932 Jack Shea Area, the primary Winter Olympic indoor ice floor and the USA Apply rink.
ICE DANCE PODIUM
- FRA – Marie Dupayage & Thomas Nabais (176.04)
- USA – Lorraine McNamara & Anton Spiridonov (175.33)
- FRA – Natacha Lagouge & Arnaud Caffa (167.35)
Lake Placid has a 90-year historical past with ice dance. Each July, the Olympic Heart hosts the Ice Dance Championships, the oldest steady ice dance competitors on the planet. The primary occasion was held in 1933, the yr after the Village hosted the 1932 Olympics. In 2015, the Lake Placid Ice Dance Worldwide (LPIDI) was added to the ISU calendar.
The six ice dancers who represented the USA on the Video games additionally competed in July 2022 on the LPIDI or the Lake Placid Championships. After the Video games, they shared their ideas about their current distinctive expertise and in addition competing on the smaller summer season occasion.
IDC: What have been your general impressions of the Video games.
Lorraine: The ability is gorgeous – magnificent. It was so memorable. It wasn’t simply the magical environment however due to the opposite athletes. You’re surrounded by such elite athleticism, so inspiring. Each competitors we go to is fantastic with totally different skaters from different nations, but it surely was totally different there assembly athletes from totally different disciplines.
It was actually exceptional and so inspiring since you see the drive and the fireplace of each athlete another way than what we’re used to, and it simply fueled us all through our competitors.
We took it with us leaving the competitors. It stayed with us. We all know there’s the fantastic facet of the competitors, however Lake Placid in its personal proper is gorgeous and particularly for Staff USA such an Olympic spirit. It was only a properly rounded journey.
IDC: Describe your Opening Ceremony expertise.
Anton: We felt that the Opening Ceremony and assembly all the opposite athletes was superb. There was an enormous crowd – very receptive, very heat. It would go down as considered one of my favourite competitions.
IDC: How was the Lake Placid expertise totally different from the summer season competitions?
Anton: It was a very totally different expertise. On the Lake Placid Ice Dance Worldwide everyone is used to going. It’s nearly like coming residence each time, however this was such an enormous occasion. There have been so many alternative sports activities, nations and skaters and disciplines. We’ve by no means been to the Olympics but, however everyone mentioned it was just like the Olympic expertise – the Collegiate Olympics.
Lorraine: After we go as much as LP in the summertime, we don’t get to see the pace skating exercise. The oval was proper there, so to see it getting used was so cool. We really met a number of actually cool pace skaters and bought to know them. They got here to look at us, and we watched them. Lake Placid is gorgeous in the summertime, but it surely’s additionally made to be a winter city. To see it in its absolute component was actually magical.
IDC: Did you get to go to different competitions?
Anton: We have been actually busy and targeted on our personal competitions, however on the final day we went to look at ski leaping. There was this sense of camaraderie. You actually get to understand different athletes of their totally different sports activities.
IDC: What was your expertise like on the Opening Ceremony?
Caleb: Doing the March into the Area was one thing we’ve by no means performed earlier than, and that was very cool.
IDC: What have been the audiences like?
Caleb: The viewers there was totally different as a result of it wasn’t simply skating followers. You had different sports activities and households of different sports activities plus the locals, so their reactions have been a bit of totally different, so it was enjoyable. We didn’t fairly know what we have been going to get, however they have been tremendous pleasant. It was a unique expertise, however actually good.
Angela: The viewers bought enthusiastic about issues a typical skating viewers wouldn’t. They didn’t care concerning the twizzles, however thought all of the sliding was so cool.
IDC: Did you get to mingle with athletes apart from determine skaters?
Angela: It was actually cool. We’ve by no means performed a contest with different sports activities. Within the eating space we bought to see totally different athletes from totally different sports activities. We bought to look at them do the lengthy observe. They have been warming up and practising, but it surely was cool as a result of we go in the summertime and by no means get to see the oval in use.
Raffaella Koncius (Pennsylvania State College) and Alexey Shchepetov (Temple College) (154.03) are the 2022 Lake Placid Championships bronze medalists.
IDC: What was the general impression you took residence from the College Video games?
Raffaella & Alexey: It was completely unbelievable collaborating in such an unlimited worldwide occasion and seeing so many athletes from different nations collaborating in the identical competitors you’re…it was surreal. It was additionally actually cool experiencing ice dance on a world stage like this, and seeing the super assist every nation (and followers) had for his or her athletes.
Raffaella & Alexey: The opening ceremony won’t ever be forgotten. We felt like we have been marching within the opening ceremony on the Olympics. It was actually surreal. We felt a lot satisfaction and honor with the ability to partake in one thing so huge, and it was so cool seeing USA march out final and getting the largest cheer. It was superior being backstage with all of the athletes from different nations and seeing how genuinely completely satisfied and excited everybody was to be there.
It didn’t really feel like this was a contest between nations and athletes, however somewhat a as soon as in a lifetime expertise that all of us bought to share with one another.
IDC: Did you get to see different disciplines compete?
Raffaella & Alexey: We didn’t since determine skating was one of many first sports activities to compete. We needed to depart as quickly because the competitors was over with the intention to get again to Florida and prepare for Nationals. We did get to see among the pace skaters practising on their out of doors observe.
Raffaella: I actually wished to see the skiers! I used to be unhappy to have missed that.
IDC: Did you make some new mates?
Raffaella: Sure, We each made mates.
Raffaella: I undoubtedly bought to know and grew nearer to the opposite skaters representing Staff USA. It was good assembly dancers from different nations!
How was this Lake Placid expertise totally different from competing in July?
Raffaella & Alexey: It was a lot totally different. This competitors felt MUCH larger, like a mini Olympics. The whole Lake Placid village was reworked. There was a Staff USA sales space, free S’extra stations down the road, flags for each the USA and different nations in every single place, an enormous out of doors TV exhibiting reside determine skating occasions as they have been taking place. There have been folks on stilts, music, and a lot extra. I
It felt so heat and welcoming, together with creating an thrilling surroundings. It was a winter wonderland – it was snowing, the lakes have been frozen over, fairly a unique really feel than the summer season heat throughout LPIDI, however simply as stunning. And a LOT extra folks!
IDC: What is going to you bear in mind essentially the most concerning the Video games?
Raffaella & Alexey: We’ll at all times bear in mind the insane quantity of assist for Staff USA on the video games. We might be strolling down the road in our Staff USA gear and folks would consistently shout “Go group USA!!” and begin cheering. It was actually cool.
Raffaella: One of many issues I’ll always remember is listening to ‘representing the US of America…’ after which our names, adopted by the largest cheers we’ve ever heard.
Raffaella: This was by far the good competitors expertise ever. I’m so grateful to have been representing Staff USA. I felt like I used to be a part of an enormous household whereas I used to be there. It was actually surreal. I wouldn’t have traded this expertise for the world. The quantity of satisfaction felt by the athletes and followers exhibiting their assist for Staff USA was unbelievable.
Oona Brown & Gage Brown carried out within the exhibition-only. The New York siblings are the 2022 World Junior Ice Dance Champions.
IDC: What was it like skating your Free Dance within the College Video games Exhibition the final night time of determine skating?
Gage: That was enjoyable! There was a very good crowd. It was good coaching observe earlier than the US Nationals two weeks later. It was an amazing expertise – our first time skating on the 1980 rink in a very long time (2019 LPIDI).